Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an auto-immune disease characterized by vasculopathy and the combination of microangiopathy and tissue collagen deposit leading to skin, digestive, pulmonary, myocardial and renal injuries. These repercussions could be challenging for anesthesiologists and associated with difficulties in airway management, and occurrence of congestive right heart failure or acute kidney crisis. The aim of this review is to review the physiopathology and the progression of the SSc, as well as to provide a strategy of perioperative management of these patients.
Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) are rare and severe soft tissue infections associated with a high mortality rate. In order to assess the management of NF in French-speaking intensive care units (ICUs), we conducted a survey endorsed by the French Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care (SFAR).
Online self-administered survey.
A link to an online survey was sent by email to 4620 anesthesiologists and/or intensivists and was available online from January to February 2014.
One hundred and seventy-five physicians (3.8%) who worked in 135 ICUs filled out the online survey. Among respondents, 42% reported having managed up to two patients with NF during the previous year; 59% and 72% of respondents reported not having a surgical and a medical specialist consultant, respectively. A delayed access to the operating room (OR) of more than 6 hours was reported in 31% of cases and access to the OR was reported not to be routinely considered as a priority in 13% of cases. Only 17% of respondents reported that time to transfer to the OR was never a cause for delayed surgery. The main causes for delayed surgery were: delayed diagnosis (45%), delayed validation of surgical intervention (37%), and difficulty of access to the OR (8%). Finally, 83% of respondents estimated that creating dedicated multidisciplinary teams for managing NFs could lead to improving outcomes.
This survey illustrates the heterogeneous management of NF in French-speaking ICUs and points out several logistical aspects that should be improved to reduce the time to the first surgical debridement.
Because of graft shortages, an experimental programme of organ donation after Maastricht 3-type circulatory death (M3) has been proposed by the French organ procurement organization (Agence de la biomedicine: ABM). The aim of the study was to estimate how many potential patients were eligible for an M3-type organ donation, amongst deceased patients who have had life-support withdrawn.
We conducted a retrospective study looking at the notes of deceased patients in a French general intensive care unit (ICU), where organ donation is arranged in DBD donors.
Over the year 2013, 1475 patients were admitted in ICU and 215 died. One hundred and one patients were brain-injured and 26 of them died following a decision to withdrawn life-support and without contraindication to organ donation. Among them, 2 patients (8%) met the criteria for the French M3-type organ donation protocol. A 12.5% increase in organ donation activity of our team and five organ transplantations could have been considered.
If M3 organ donation is considered, a significant increase in transplantation would be expected.
The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of HES 130/0.4 coloading compared to normal saline solution for prevention of hypotension during spinal anesthesia for elective caesarean section.
Prospective, randomized.
One hundred and twenty ASA I and II patients scheduled for elective caesarean section were recruited. Patients were randomized to receive either 500 mL of HES 130/0.4 (Voluven®) coloading (Group V) or 500 mL of normal saline solution coloading (Group C). Spinal anesthesia technique and ephedrine administration were standardized in both groups. The primary endpoint was the incidence of maternal hypotension during spinal anesthesia for elective caesarean section.
Hypotension occurred in 43 patients in group C and 24 patients in group V (p = 0.001). Ephedrine consumption was significantly lower in group V (P = 0.005). Nausea, vomiting and headache incidence was higher in group C (p = 0.006). Apgar scores and umbilical blood gazes were comparable between groups.
HES 130/0.4 coload was more effective than normal saline solution to prevent hypotension following spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean section. HES 130/0.4 coload reduced the incidence, the duration of longest hypotension, the need for ephedrine and the adverse maternal effects.